Staged Reading:

Trifles

Written by Susan Glaspell

Directed by Jeanette Horn

Trifles by Susan Glaspell is seen as one of the first feminist dramas of our time. It is set in 1952 and a man is murdered. The play’s two female characters, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, are able to sympathize with the victim’s wife and their understanding of her possible motive leads them to the evidence against her. The men, meanwhile, are blinded by their cold, emotionless investigation of material facts. This play raises questions about gender stereotypes, and abusive, unhappy marriages.

This year’s Pulitzer Prize ReadingSeries celebrates women playwrights who were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.